Ag leaders in the Prairie State are working to use state and federal dollars to better respond to mental health issues on the farm.
The state’s department of ag says that the money will be used in several different ways.
According to Ag Director Jerry Costello, “We found a way with the federal government to access $500,000 for the Farm Family Resource Initiative. So, we had the state money appropriated by the legislature, but last year an extra $500,000 to make sure that farmers have the resources for mental health help. Everything from therapy, to text hotline and e-mail, and then still the call-in hotline which is 833-FARM-SOS, which is for farmers, it’s for their spouses, for their children, for anybody that works on a farm.”
